Queen unveils livestock market plaque

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were invited to the town yesterday to see the market at Buttington Cross.

Up to 300 people crammed into the mart's auction room to see the Queen greeted by an enormous 1,500 kilo Charolais bull called Attaboy owned by Gareth Roberts, of Llangadfan, just before 11am.

She moved on to tour the site and discovered hundreds of children from local primary schools had also been herded into the complex.

She was presented with a bouquet and walked down a long corridor of children waving home-made union flags.

Seven-year-olds Lara Burgoyne and Rowenna Pollock, both from Guilsfield Primary School, presented the Queen with some daffodils.

Lara said: "I was very pleased to meet the Queen and happy that she accepted my daffodils I'd brought for her."

"She was wicked, really cool," said Callum Greatorex, nine, of Guilsfield Primary.

Eva Matthews, six, of Trewern Primary School, said: "It was amazing to see the Queen because I have never met her before."

Further on the Queen met veteran farmer Arthur George, 80, of Pen-y-Banc Farm, who was showing two Welshbred ewes in an enclosure.

"She wanted to know how old they were and was very interested in the breed and how many we have at the farm.

"I think the Queen keeps the status of the country. It's good to have someone who is not a 'here today gone tomorrow' politician."

Honour

The royal couple also met with Welshpool Livestock Auctioneers' partners and staff.

David Pryce, the livestock market foreman, also spoke with the Queen.

He said: "It has been a great honour to meet the royal couple. The Queen stopped to speak to me and asked me how long I'd worked here. I've been with the livestock market 11 years and I really enjoy what I do.

"I'm extremely pleased that Her Majesty stopped to talk, it was great moment.

"We had a sale here for 1,200 on Tuesday so I had to work overnight to make sure the building was spick and span for the royal visit. It was hard work but very well worth the effort."

Richard Davies, a drover at the livestock market, also spoke with the Queen,

"She said she was very impressed with the facilities and I told her it was nice that the market was now under cover after centuries of it not being."

Mr John Jones, the former senior partner of Welshpool Livestock Sales, accompanied the Queen on the tour.

He said: "The Queen said she was very impressed with the market and couldn't believe how big it was.

"It was a great honour to have them both here and I hope they were impressed by what they had seen."

Livestock on display also included a Welsh pony owned by Gaynor Vaughan, of Trefonnen near Oswestry.

The Queen left the livestock market in a dark burgundy Bentley for the short trip to Welshpool town centre.